LoveHate
by Art is a bang4979
Summary: Mello is the best student in Wammy House, he's pretty much everyone's pick to be the next L. That all falls apart of course when a new boy desides he wants to be the best too.And both boys will soon find out how thin the line between love & hate really is


Chapter One: Awakening

"Hey Mello," Matt said as his roommate since as far as he could remember walked into their dorm. Though Matt was slightly preoccupied by his brand new Play Station 3 he still knew better enough to say 'hello' to his best friend.

"Hey," the blond replied crashes down onto his bed and cracking open a military plan book filled with copies of diary entries from the greatest war minds in history. He was to study the entire chapter of Napoleon for homework. "Hey can you kill the volume? I'm trying to read," the ten year old grumbled.

"Aw but the noise adds to the game," Matt complained and Mello rolled his eyes up at the ceiling. "Besides haven't you read that entire book backwards to front already? You really need to like chill from all the homework crap."

"I guess so," Mello mumbled closing the large text book.

"Besides you're like the smartest kid here," the other boy went on. "You've got L's job in the bag with the way you're going," Matt glanced over at him and grinned "and I'll be your wing man."

"Quit being queer and play your stupid game," Mello sighed and his roommate laughed. "I'm going to go to the cafeteria see you later."

"Sure," Matt replied going back to his game.

Nate had never been in a limo before nor had he ever been to an orphanage not that he'd ever wanted to go to one, not that he'd had much of a choice. Why he had to move from Ohio to England puzzled him even more and made the usually calm boy nervous. To show an outward sign of his nervousness he played with his white hair curling a strand of it around his index finger until it was almost painfully tight.

Of course he was alone in the back of the limo and the driver was busy with of course driving if that wasn't already apparent. Of course Nate would never go out of his way to tell someone of his grievances, he wasn't one to be seen as weak, sometimes forgetting his own small stature.

Yes, he'd always been a quiet person but since the death of his parents he'd watched himself fall into an almost maddening state. Being suddenly alone then being whisked away without time to mourn made his eyes tearless and his emotions nearly invisible. Truly the last three months has been a trip to hell and back, but the boy would never say it so.

At last the limo stopped and Nate hugged his toy robot closer to his chest. The driver came around and opened his door smiling kindly to the boy. Nate sat there for a few seconds before cautiously stepping out of the vehicle and looking up at the large gated building. Wammy House was printed in plain English on a placard, the name bemused Nate but the emotion did not register on the boy's face.

"Come on then," the driver said nudging Nate's back to start the boy walking. The driver escorted the quiet boy threw the gate and soon into the orphanage. The nine year old paid little mind to his surroundings much more preoccupied by his feet as he walked beside the driver who held his luggage.

"Right in there then, Roger is waiting to greet you," the driver said and nudged Nate in. The door closed behind him and he was met with a desk and an older gentleman with a long tired face and a large bald spot. The man looked up from some papers as the door had shut.

"Ah so you're the newest little rug rat," the man said trying to be funny but Nate was not moved by the effort. "Well," he said clearing his throat "I am Roger Ruvie secondary manager of the Wammy Home it's a pleaser to meet you Nate River." He held up the files he'd been reading which where all the papers on Nate since his birth. "And that's probably the last time you'll hear your name again."

"What do you mean sir?" Nate asked quietly.

"Well you'll have to call yourself something else from now on," he said getting from his seat and over to a paper shredder. "Pick anything."

"I'm not sure if I could name myself sir," Nate said and Roger snorted.

"You're allowed to take letters from your real name if that will help," the old man said as he began to shred Nate's life story page by page. A cruel stab to the heart but the boy didn't flinch.

"Near," he said as Roger finished his sentence. The man blinked stalling his destruction to look at the boy.

"You think quickly Near," he said with a grin.

"Yes, I do," Near confirmed.

"Well then I'll call one of the children down to give you a tour," Roger said finishing up shredding the files of the recently deceased Nate River. The older gentleman went to the phone and spoke into it quickly and then hung up to regard the boy once more. "Don't worry yourself Near you'll fit in beautifully here."

The boy instantly knew that was a lie.

"What is it Roger?" Mello asked walking into normally Watari's office but with his departure to help L solve LA's BB murders case the much disliked Roger Ruvie had taken over.

"I'd like you to give Near here a tour of the House," the man said and the older boy sighed.

"Okay sure," Mello muttered taking a bite of a chocolate bar. "Come on," he said looking to the white haired boy. Near regarded the other boy with blank eyes for a second before nodding quickly walking over to the blond, and fallowing him out of the office. "So you're Near huh?"

"I suppose so," the younger replied.

"I'm Mello," the other said with a grin between a bite of chocolate. Near just blinked at him and Mello raised a brow at the unresponsive attitude of the other. "Not much of a talker, are you?"

"No I'm not," Near confirmed.

"Sure," Mello snuffed eyeing Near's red toy robot. They fell into silence for a long while as Mello led Near in and out of random corridors. After a while Near was beginning to feel as though he where being led in circles but he kept the worry to himself.

Suddenly Mello pounced and snatched the little red robot from Near's hands and ran off down the hall. Near was actually surprised by this as he stared at the older boy run off with his beloved toy. But soon the blond noticed that Near was not perusing him and he stopped at the end of the hall and turned.

Near stood where he had left him just staring at Mello with those black seemingly endless eyes. Again Mello raised a brow puzzled by the boy's either very slow reaction time or indifference. So the blond wagged the toy in front of him as if Near was a dog he was trying to get the attention of. Still the younger only stared at him and Mello stared back.

"Your suppose to come get it," the blond said still waving the robot back and forth.

"What's the point of that?" Near asked and Mello was dumbfounded.

"Well I could keep it if you don't want it," Mello countered.

"But it's mine," said the other.

"So, do you want it back?"

"Yes."

"Catch me then and I'll give it back," Mello said taking another grinning bite out of his chocolate bar.

"Like a game?" Near asked.

"Exactly like a game!" the blond laughed and raced down the corner.

Near always loved games but he loved winning games even more and if the elder boy wanted a give a challenge the younger could not refuse it. So he ran after the blond who was already much ahead of himself but Near did not mind sooner or later he would catch up with Mello it all depended on who could run longer.

They ran down the dorm corridors Mello always in sight but never close. Mello of course was far more athletic them Near the younger boy judged and he began to wonder on his own abilities to win back his little toy. Then he saw that they'd ended up in the main lobby of the institution.

"Come on Near!" Mello called as he pushed open the doors to the outside.

Near took a lung full of air and hurried after the blond out into the front yard. Mello grinned devilishly back at the younger and raced off leading Near to the backyard where he'd have more space to run. He didn't plan on keeping the toy but he was just waiting for the other to give up the run so he could take victory. Mello never did like losing much and even with this innocent little game he was sure of his all over win.

Mello glanced back and was surprised to see that Near still persisted to catch him. The blond smirked at the thought of having found someone as hardheaded as himself, but of course he was still going to put the other boy in his place. That place being second of course because Mello had to be first, he always had to hold true victory. That was why he deserved to be the next L because he worked harder then anyone else for what he wanted and was always gratified as best in the class.

Since he was very young and his parents died or left him, he could never truly recall the reasoning for being placed in the Wammy House but it was his only home so he didn't much care about his life before that. Matt was his roommate from the start and pretty much his brother and they where the only two people in the world that knew each other's real name. He gradually became top of the class threw hard study and Matt became second just out of sheer talent which Mello never truly understood. He didn't get how Matt could never study but always retain so much information.

Matt says he just learns better when he hears things but it had always been easier for Mello to read it. Written words gave him something to look back on while memory will dull and fade. But if that was the easiest way for Matt to learn well then good for him as long as he stays second.

Then his foot got caught and he stumbled forward the robot falling from his hands and the chocolate bar became crushed under him. Mello glared daggers over his shoulder at Near who had tackled his knees causing the collapse. The white haired boy was breathing in short gasps and his cheeks where flushed at the effort of chasing Mello.

"I win," Near murmured breathlessly and Mello couldn't help but let a smirk slide onto his face.

"I wasn't paying attention," Mello grumbled as Near pulled up and off of the other boy. "Here," the blond sat up and handed the younger his toy back. Near quickly hugged it back to his chest like the most precious of positions. They sat on the grass and stared at each other here hearts still pumping from the run.

"So Near," Mello said casting a sly glance the other boy's way "you like games?"

"Yes," he replied "I'm rather good at games."

"Yea?" Mello questioned getting to his feet and looking down at the new kid. "I'm pretty good at games myself."

"Well apparently not because you lost," Near stated plainly and that innocent comment was given back in the form of a round house kick to the face.

"Oh jeez," Mello gapped as the younger boy's head flinched on contact. It wasn't a hard kick just enough to give a nice scrap of dirt across Near's snow white features, but the younger didn't get up or even glance Mello's way he just stared wide eyed at the grass but made no other move. Mello felt guilty right away and knelt down so he could face Near and began to wipe the dirt away from the soft cheek where a bruise was beginning to form.

"Near I'm sorry…I over reacted," Mello said to his defense but Near's haunting blank yet endless eyes gave no clue to the boy's emotions. The blond desperately wished the other would give some sort of outward single, cry, laugh, punch back anything that would have meaning, but no, the smaller just sat there staring stoic at the grass as if to watch it grow as the red mark on his cheek became more purple.

"_Hey_, you still in there?" the blond asked waving a hand across Near's vision but the other only blinked, an effect that was physically natural rather than emotionally. And clearly as far as Mello could conclude this boy was not naturally emotionally stable, and being the successor to L he had to know at least a little psychiatry.

Mello sighed and sat back though not defeated he had to figure out a way to pull the other boy from his daze. He sucked on his teeth pondering while Near stayed motionless.

Mello was soon resorting to poking Near in the bruise over and over again figuring the sore spot might flinch Near out of his shell shocked state. It didn't work it only made Near blink. Mello was becoming frustrated and bit into his chocolate after dusting it off figuring it was fine even if it had been on the ground. He didn't care it was chocolate, thinking food.

"Fine I got one last trick," Mello said softly to himself putting his finger in his mouth.


End file.
